(TotalConservative.com) – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen paid a visit to California on Wednesday and met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as well as other members of Congress, despite multiple warnings from China that the meeting would result in consequences.
The controversial meeting took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, where Tsai Ing-wen pulled up in an SUV, shook hands with Speaker McCarthy, and proceeded inside for several hours of discussion with Republican and Democratic Congress members.
Outside the venue, a few protesters gathered in support of Taiwan as well as some opposing the island nation’s claim to independence from China.
Before the meeting took place, the Chinese embassy sent a threatening letter to Congress warning that there will be consequences for meeting with the Taiwanese president.
Speaking on behalf of the embassy, Li Xiang wrote in a lengthy email that “China will not sit idly by in the face of a blatant provocation and will most likely take necessary and resolute actions in response to the unwanted situation,” although the actions were not specified. Xiang called on Congress to “work together to prevent such a thing from happening.”
Taiwan is also known as the Republic of China because the old Chinese government fled there from the mainland in 1949 after Communist forces took over during the Chinese Revolution and established the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese Communist Party still claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to reclaim it by force. Despite the separation, the two nations are still linked through trade and investment. The CCP doesn’t like any foreign nations attempting to have a relationship with Taiwan.
This historic meeting with McCarthy and members of Congress marks the first time since 1979 that a senior US elected official met on American soil with the leader of Taiwan.
Copyright 2023, TotalConservative.com
